Contents
Purpose of the Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Protection Learning Guide
27
Level 0 PPE................................................................................................................30
Level 1 PPE................................................................................................................30
Level 2 PPE................................................................................................................31
Level 3 PPE................................................................................................................32
Level 4 PPE................................................................................................................33
Care and Maintenance of PPE....................................................................................33
Creating a Safe Work Zone.........................................................................................33
Other High Voltage Requirements............................................................................................34
Periodic Reviews........................................................................................................34
Modifications, Changes or Additions to Electrical Systems......................................34
Design of Electrical Systems to Limit Arc Flash Hazards.........................................34
Lesson Four Self Check............................................................................................................35
Lesson Four Answer Key..........................................................................................................37
Knowledge Check
Page ii
The purpose of Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Protection Standard Learning Guide is to
inform and train employees on the safety practices and personal protection
equipment requirements associated with working near sources of potential arc flash
hazards.
It is intended that upon completion of the lessons in this learning guide, the worker
will be knowledgeable of the hazards, safety practices and equipment requirements
to prevent injury from potential arc flash hazards, and be able to determine the arc
flash hazard boundaries and required PPE for performance of tasks associated with
working near sources of potential arc flash hazards. Armed with this knowledge, the
worker will be able to complete tasks safely.
The goal of all safety programs at Your Companys, Inc. is to eliminate injuries, and
fatalities, in the work place. Your Companys wants its employees to go home after a
day of work in the same good physical condition as when they arrived at work.
The Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Protection Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Protection
standard is in place to guide electrical managers and workers in working around
potential electrical arc flash hazards. Manager and works must comply with the
Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Protection standard.
Page 2
Grounding
Barriers
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
He had first and second degree burns on the front of his legs but mostly third degree
burns on the back of his legs and hips. The arc may have blown the front of his jeans
off quickly so that the front of his legs were not as severely burned by the fire which
swept over his lower torso as the heavy jean material continued to burn. Wally
Benhke, retired DuPont scientist, and one of the developers of the copper calorimeter
currently used in burn prediction, said something that came home in this accident:
Heavy cotton is good until it ignites, and the ignition energy is almost directly
proportional to the weight of the cotton material, but once the heavy cotton ignites
you just have more fuel to burn on the body. The line worker would have been
much better protected with a pair of arc and flame resistant jeans that he could have
selected in the companys clothing allowance.
Here is an example of painful burns suffered by a worker due to an arc flash. Not
only is it horrible to look at, the pain suffered by the victim is excruciating. The
incident is over in an instant but its effect last for a lifetime.
Page 6
The purpose of the Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Protection standard is to eliminate
injury to Your Companys personnel, contractors, subcontractors, vendors, and
visitors caused by Electrical Arc Flash Hazards.
Each location shall perform an Arc Flash Hazard Assessment to determine if Arc
Flash Hazards exist.
Definitions
Arc Fault Current
For Arc Flash Hazard Analysis calculations, use the short circuit symmetrical
amperes from a bolted 3-phase fault. Select the value at time of circuit interruption.
Arc In A Box
The estimated Arc Thermal Energy created in a six-sided metal enclosure. The Arc
Flash Hazard is present due to one side open.
Close Proximity
Close enough to reach, fall into, or otherwise accidentally contact an electrical
source. Working in Close Proximity would be within the Electrical Arc Flash Hazard
Boundary.
Page 7
Page 8
Guide electrical managers and workers in working around potential electrical arc flash hazards.
d) Material treated with a chemical flame retardant to prevent clothing ignition, or natural materials that are
inherently flame resistant.
3) Arc in a box is:
a)
b&c
4) The Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Protection Standard mandates the minimum safety rules, design criteria and
practices for personnel working within the Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Boundary of electrical systems operating at
a)
50 to 60 Hertz
Calculations to predict the Arc thermal energy from the source of an electric arc fault.
The distance from an arc flash hazard source where Arc Thermal Energy applied to the skin is equal to 1.2
calories/cm2 .
The distance from an arc flash hazard source where level 4 PPE is required.
Page 9
Local legislative codes when in foreign countries because they supersede Electrical Arc Flash Hazard
Protection.
b) Local legislative codes or accepted employee safety standards, design criteria, etc., whichever is least
stringent.
c)
Local legislative codes or accepted employee safety standards, design criteria, etc., when they are more
stringent than those identified in the Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Protection standard
Page 10
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Page 11
Training Requirements
Arc Flash Hazards can change as distribution systems change, due to additional
equipment or switching operations. Personnel exposed to Arc Flash Hazards shall be
trained in:
Personnel exposed to Arc Flash Hazards must be initially trained and retrained at a
minimum of every two years. When the Arc Flash Hazard task, or PPE requirements
change, additional training is required.
Page 12
Assess Tasks
Location Management shall ensure the tasks listed in Table 4.3.1 are assessed. If
there are no tasks involving an Arc Flash Hazard, the assessment is complete. If the
task is operation of enclosed switchgear with doors closed, perform an Arc Flash
Hazard Analysis per Section 4.4 or use the PPE Level described in Table 4.5 to
complete the assessment.
Switching
Grounding
Hazard Control
Priority must be given to eliminating the Arc Flash Hazard. Determine if equipment
design or work practices will control the Arc Flash Hazard. Arc Fault rated
switchgear complete with viewing windows and integral-grounding (earthing)
switches is an example of equipment designed to eliminate the Arc Flash Hazard.
Examples of work practices to control Arc Flash Hazards include remote operation
of switches and circuit breakers, remote grounding of switches and circuit breakers,
or use of rated electrical isolation blankets or barriers. If the equipment design or
work practice results in elimination of the Arc Flash Hazard, the assessment is
complete.
Page 13
Determine PPE
Select PPE to protect from the Arc Thermal Energy at the worker location within the
Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Boundary. Refer to Personal Protective Equipment
lesson in this Learning Guide to complete the assessment.
Page 14
Periodic Reviews
Annual self-assessments of the location's electrical safety program shall be
conducted to ensure personnel are complying with the requirements of this
document, and that personnel are wearing the proper PPE to eliminate Arc Flash
Hazard injuries. Action plans shall be developed to close any identified gaps.
Page 15
b) Bi-Annually.
c)
Each time the Arc Flash Hazard task, or PPE requirements change.
Weekly
b) Monthly
c)
Semi-annually
d) Annually
e)
3) Which of the following is not a task where Arc Flash Hazard Assessment is required.
a)
f)
4) PPE is required only when there has been evidence of an arc flash incident
a)
True
b) False
5) The Arc Flash Hazard Analysis determines the arc thermal energy.
a)
True
b) False
6) The Arc Thermal Energy is required to determine the required PPE level.
a)
True
b) False
Page 16
7) Which of the following are part of the Arc Flash Hazard Assessment (circle all that apply)
a)
Assess Tasks
b) Hazard Control
c)
f)
True
b) False
11) A Safe Work Zonecan be established when voltages are less than 1000 volts AC by appropriate safe work practices
a)
True
b) False
12) To establish a Safe Work Zone where voltages are greater than 1000 Volts AC, follow the requirements in High
Voltage.1, Section 8.0.
a)
True
b) False
13) Which of the following are examples of equipment designed to eliminate the Arc Flash Hazard?
a)
d) a & b
14) You must perform an Arc Flash Hazard Analysis when working on Arc Fault related switchgear even if the
switchgear is equipped with viewing windows and integral grounding switches.
a)
True
b) False
15) What amount of heat exposure is required to produce a second degree burn.
a)
5 cal/cm2
Page 17
Arc Fault rated switchgear complete with viewing windows and integral grounding switches.
Page 18
Page 19
The Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Boundary is the distance from the arc source at
which the Arc Thermal Energy becomes less than or equal to 1.2 calories/Cm2. The
boundaries are established for the safety of the worker who must perform tasks near
known arc flash hazards.
Derivation of Formulas
The formulas for calculating boundaries for safe work zones, where there is the
potential for an arc flash hazard and the formulas for calculating the amount of
thermal energy present as a flash occurs, are derived from several sources. The
formulas have some component numbers that are constant and others that are
variable. Also, they are accepted as the rule by safety agencies and by recognized
experts in industry.
These calculations occur in the AES (Your Companys Engineering Standard)
Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Protection.1, and are integral elements of the AES High
Voltage.1 for high voltage safe work practices and the soon to be mandated AES
32.69.1 for low voltage levels.
The primary resource for the research that went into deriving these calculations was
based upon research performed by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association)
comprised of some of the industries leading experts in the field of electrical safety.
Other standards organizations such as the IEEE and Edison Electrical Institute had
input. Many leading industries such as DuPont, Duke Energy, and Ontario Hydro
have performed countless research activities and have developed computer software
Page 20
The Formula
Dc = [2.65 x MVABF x t}1/2 This formula is used when Short Circuit Current (Isc) is
known.
Variables:
Dc represents the distance (in feet) of a person from an arc source for
curable second-degree burns
Table 1.
Step 1- Calculate the bolted
fault MVABF
Step 2- Calculate the flash
hazard boundary (Dc)
Calculate the Short Circuit
Current
MVABF = MVABASE/Z
50/.0675 = 741
Page 21
Variables:
Dc represents the distance (in feet) of a person from an arc source for
curable second-degree burns
Z = Transformer Impedance
Table 2
Electrical System Voltage Phase to Phase
kV
Feet
Meters
.051 - .600
4.0
1.2
.601 - .999
6.0
2.0
1.0 - 15
14.0
4.3
15.1 - 36
16.0
5.0
36.1 - 46
20.0
6.0
For values above 46kV, calculate the Electric Arc Flash Hazard
Boundary.
The calculations in the above table are based on the following bolted faults:
601 999 volts: 100 bolted fault MVA and a fault clearing of 6 cycles
(0.1 seconds)
Page 22
Page 23
Supply
Voltage
in kV
10
Table 3
Short Circuit Currents in kA
20
30
40
60
80
0.300
0.480
0.600
0.750
1.0
2.4
4.16
13.2
13.8
15
22
34.5
46
.60
.60
.60
0.87
0.70
0.92
1.08
1.56
1.56
1.56
1.62
1.78
1.50
100
31.1
31.1
31.1
37.5
22.8
25.8
27.8
27.3
27.3
27.3
28.4
31.3
26.2
Arc Gap
Inches
1.25
1.25
1.25
2
4
6
8
12
12
12
18
20
20
cm
3
3
3
5
10
15
20
30
30
30
46
50
50
Distance
from Arc to
worker's
location
Inches cm
18
46
18
46
18
46
18
46
26
66
26
66
26
66
26
66
26
66
26
66
31
79
31
79
34
86
Arc
Duration
Seconds
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
Above Arc Thermal Energy calculations based on using ARCPRO software version 2.0. ARCPRO is a product of
Ontario Hydro Technologies, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Notes:
Arc energies computed by ARCPRO have been verified by comparison with
measured results from high current laboratory tests involving controlled vertical arcs
in air. ARCPRO results have shown good agreement with measured values from a
series of tests covering the following ranges of parameters: currents from 3.5 kA 0
21.5 kA, arc durations from 4 cycles to 30 cycles, arc lengths from 1 inches to 12
inches, and distances of 8 inches to 24 inches from the arc.
ARCPRO assumes ac symmetrical currents with 60-Hz frequency free-burning
vertical arcs in air. ARCPRO does not account for the following additional criteria:
movement of the arc, electrode materials such as aluminum, hot particles being
ejected from the arc, 3-phase arcs or arcs in enclosures. ARCPRO is most applicable
to arcs longer Tan Z5 cm and arc currents above 200 A rms.
Duke Heat Flux Calculator Freeware provides reasonable estimates within the range
of 1kA and 10 kA. Heat Flux limitations include: program termination for values
outside of modeled ranges for arc gap and voltage, and poor estimates for small arc
gaps at higher currents and voltages.
Page 24
Suppl
y
Volta
ge in
kV
0.300
30
40
60
Arc Gap
Inches
1.25
cm
3
Distance from
Arc to
worker's
location
Inches
cm
18
46
Arc
Duratio
n
Seconds
0.1
Page 25
MVABF = MVABASE/Z
MVABF = MVABASE/Z
MVABF = MVABASE/Z
True
b) False
6) Why calculate Arc Thermal Energies?
a)
Page 26
2.
3.
4.
5.
True
6.
Page 27
Page 28
For PPE Levels 1 to 4, clothing and equipment providing the same level of
protection (calories/cm2) may be used instead of the specific brands or fabric weights
(oz/yd 2). PPE selected should not increase other hazards. Natural fiber clothes and
undergarments must be 100 percent cotton, 100 percent wool, or have equivalent
ignition properties that will not increase the extent of bum injury. Undergarments
may have elastic supports.
Arc Flash
Incident
PPE
Exposure to
Personnel
Level 1
1.2 calories
Level 2
1.2 calories
Level 3
1.2 calories
Level 4
1.2 calories
Arc hazard levels in Table 4 are based upon fault clearing times of less than or equal
to six cycles (0.1 seconds), and fault currents not to exceed 40kA. If longer fault
clearing times and/or fault currents greater than 40KA are exceeded, an Arc Flash
Hazard Analysis SHALL be performed.
Page 29
Switching or breaker operation, testing, troubleshooting, doors opened. For less than 10 kA short
circuit current available, the PPE Level required may be reduced by 1.
Switching or breaker operation with doors closed, 600 amps or greater. See note 2.
Switching or breaker operation, testing, troubleshooting with doors open. See Note 3.
Opening panel doors or compartment covers to exposed, energized high voltage parts
Note - Aluminum enclosures provide limited Arc Flash Hazard protection. If the fault
level is above 25,000 Amps or the main over current device is 1200 Amps or greater,
at a minimum, Level 1 clothing with hand and face protection is required.
Note 1- If there is increased danger of injury due to Arc Flash Hazard because of any
openings in the door, panel or covers, including ventilation opening, hand protection
and/or face protection may be required. Hand protection shall consist of a minimum
weight of 2.75 ounce leather glove with gauntlet of sufficient length to provide wrist
protection. Face Protection shall consist of a tinted, propionate, wrap around face
shield over safety glasses or goggles.
Note 2 - PPE Level 0, if rated and tested Arc Fault Contained Switchgear.
Note 3 - Requires the use of Face Shield and Hearing Protection.
Page 30
Level 0 PPE
Level 0 PPE consists of untreated cotton clothing including a minimum of long
sleeves and, long pants and safety glasses with side shields. This level provides no
appreciable protection from Arc Flash Hazard energy.
Level 1 PPE
Level 1 PPE must provide protection to 5 calories/cm2 from potential Arc Flash
Thermal Energy. Level 1 PPE total clothing weight usually is 4.5 oz/yd 2 to 8 oz/yd 2
and may consist of:
Arc Flash Hazard rated gloves shall be worn to protect against the Arc
Flash Hazard energy for this level of PPE. Voltage rated gloves are
required if electrical contact hazard exists or their use is mandated by
other codes or standards. Voltage rated gloves with leather protection
may meet the requirements for both Arc Flash Hazard and electrical
contact hazard.
Page 31
Level 2 PPE
Level 2 PPE must provide protection to 8 calories/cm2 from potential Arc Thermal
Energy, Level 2 PPE total clothing weight of all layers usually is 9 oz/yd 2 to 12
oz/yd 2 and may consist of:
First Layer
Second Layer
Hearing protection
Other PPE:
Page 32
Level 3 PPE
Level 3 PPE must provide protection to 25 calories/cm2 from potential arc fault
energy. Level 3 PPE total clothing weight of all layers usually is 16 oz/yd 2 to 20
oz/yd 2 and may consist of:
First Layer
Second
Layer
Third Layer:
Other PPE:
Page 33
Level 4 PPE
Level 4 PPE must provide protection to 40 calories/cm2 from potential arc fault
energy. Level 3 PPE total clothing weight of all layers usually is 24 oz/yd 2 to 30
oz/yd 2 and may consist of:
First Layer
Second
Layer
Third Layer:
Other PPE:
Page 34
Page 35
Exposure to the worker to burns from an arc flash hazard cannot exceed 1.2 cal/cm2.
b) It is not required.
c)
3) When operating switchgear 600 amps or more, with the door closed;
a)
5) When removing bolted covers to exposed energized high voltage parts, which PPE listed below is not required.
a)
Nomex hood
6) When switching or operating a breaker with the doors open, which PPE is not required:
a)
Nomex hood
Page 36
7) If you are wearing Multi-ply Nomex III 50" length switcher's coat, and Nomex hood with arc shield, what level of
PPE do you have on.
a)
Level 0
b) Level 1
c)
Level 2
d) Level 3
e)
Level 4
Level 0
b) Level 1
c)
Level 2
d) Level 3
e)
Level 4
Level 0
b) Level 1
c)
Level 2
d) Level 3
e)
Level 4
10) After January 1, 2004 new switchgear rated for 1000 volts and above must be arc fault rated with integral grounding
switches and viewing windows.
a)
True
b) False
11) If modifications, changes or additions to the electrical system occur, a reassessment shall be completed to verify the
Arc Flash Hazard and PPE requirements.
a)
True
b) False
12) The reassessment documentation shall include:
a)
modifications completed
PPE required
Page 37
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
False
11.
False
12.
Page 38